Shortstop Jed Lowrie is out of the lineup a third straight day with a bruised right index finger, but Bob Melvin said, “It’s almost certain he’ll start tomorrow.”

That’s a story for another day.

For now, Lowrie is resting so he could have a better chance at making throws from all angles. He was hurt when he took a Logan Forsythe grounder off the finger in the fourth inning Monday.

“I’m not much of a help on the field if I can’t throw the ball across the diamond,” Lowrie said. “It’s one of those stupid injuries that happens.”

He can hit fine and will be available tonight off the bench. Eric Sogard is the shortstop.

“I think he could’ve played today,” Melvin said of Lowrie. “But at shortstop, if you get any number of throws that you make off-balance throws, maybe you still feel it a little bit. I wouldn’t hesitate to use him off the bench but would probably be more comfortable with starting him tomorrow.”

Did Melvin consider using Lowrie as the DH?

“We’re fine with (John) Jaso there. When you have only one extra infielder on the bench and something goes wrong in the game, I don’t want to pull my DH out of there.”

*****

Batting seventh and catching for the Twins: old friend Kurt Suzuki.

“It’s nice” returning to Oakland, Suzuki said. “I made a lot of real good friends. I spent a lot of time here. It’s definitely nice to see everybody.”

In recent weeks, Suzuki played in his first All-Star Game – hosted by his Twins – and received a two-year, $12 million extension through 2016 with a vesting option for 2017. He’s hitting .307 with two homers and 46 RBIs.

“It’s been a real good fit,” Suzuki said. “I’ve had a real good time. The coaching staff is great. They keep it loose. They do everything the right way around here, and I love that. Teammates are so fun to be around, it makes it so fun to come to the ballpark. Obviously, our record (51-61) hasn’t shown that, but I feel real confident about our capabilities and what we have for the future.”

“I loved it,” Suzuki said. “I’ve had some pretty good success with him as a teammate. The one thing I told them was how great a guy he was. He works hard, He does everything the right way. He’s professional.

“I told them, ‘Hey, he’d be a perfect fit here,’ kind of joking around, and the next thing you knew we traded for Tommy Milone.”

*****

Melvin loves Suzuki.

“As long as he doesn’t do too well this series,” the manager said. “We have a lot of guys who have a tremendous fondness for (Suzuki). Catchers always work pretty closely with me, and he’s a guy here who’s a fan favorite. Pitching staffs love him. He’s all about the pitchers. To watch him have a year he’s having and making an All-Star team, everyone felt great about that. He continues to hit over .300, knock in close to 50 runs, he’ll always do his thing behind the plate.

“It would be all right if he took an oh-fer for this series, but we always pull for him.”

*****

Third baseman Josh Donaldson has committed 19 errors, three more than last season.

“He’s made some errors, but I think his overall defensive body of work is still terrific,” Melvin said. “He gets to more balls, certainly in the hole and down the line, than any third baseman does. He has had a few more errors, but I wouldn’t say his defensive ability has gone down. He’s still the best at getting a lot of these popups, especially in day games with the sun, and he gets to balls most guys don’t. a lot of times he’s getting up off a great play and may throw a ball away. But for me, his defense is the same, less a few more errors.”